Colorado should wipe low-level marijuana convictions clean

Possessing small amounts of marijuana has been legal in Colorado now for six years, and yet convictions still haunt those who got caught with a small amount of pot or paraphernalia before voters approved Amendment 64 in 2012.

Slowly laws have adapted to meet the realization dawning over America that marijuana is a relatively safe drug comparable to alcohol. Possessing and using the drug were victimless crimes. According to The Denver Post’s Andrew Kenney, in Denver it’s estimated that as many as 10,000 people were convicted of low-level marijuana offenses between 2001 and 2013.

For those individuals the convictions are a permanent stain on their records for something that is entirely legal under Colorado law today. In 2017 Colorado lawmakers passed a law that enabled folks to expunge these types of convictions from their records, however they must petition the court, pay fees and be aware in the first place that it’s an option to clear their record.